maggies gove
intae dubs
fou o brainches an cluds




magpies gaze
into puddles
full of branches and clouds

a chattert raip-sweeng
the tree-hoose crottlin
foggies at the winnock




a frayed rope-swing
the tree-house crumbling
old folks at the window

fushmunger's winnock -
caller saumon sclices
an his reid hauns




fishmonger's window -
fresh salmon slices
and his red hands

valentine's day
lesbian lovies
skair a bowlie o macallum




valentine's day
lesbian lovers
share a bowl of ice-cream

giein bluid -
throuch the winnock
the reiddest tulips




giving blood -
through the window
the reddest tulips

bawdron's neb
amang voar flooers -
a deid moose hingin




cat's face
amongst spring flowers -
a dead mouse hanging

fower hyacinths
flourishin in a pat -
nae greter meesterie




four hyacinths
blooming in a pot -
no greater mystery

sparks hingin
aw o the mornin licht
in ilka yin




raindrops hanging
all of the morning light
in each one

sin
on the freestit binwuid
a green leam




sun
on the frosted ivy
a green beam

craws' clatter
pouin me deeper
intae the wuids




crows' calling
drawing me deeper
into the woods

match day
cadgers sellin flags -
sprittelt crocuses




match day
vendors selling flags -
multi-coloured crocuses

in 'The Gairdens'
muckle herts an kisses
in the snaw




in 'The Gardens'
giant hearts and kisses
in the snow

mither an bairn
dumpin snaw at ilk ither
...skirls




mother and child
kicking snow at each other
...squeals

muinlicht
ower the freestit perk
hoolet's dowie neb




moonlight
over the frosted field
owl's sad face

the postie -
the cauld
scrieve




the postman -
the cold
letter

jeelin
eeshogels an slidder
...a jowin bell




freezing
icicles and ice
...a chiming bell

lowpin oot o bed
ma erse scartit -
guidwife's tint rosary




leaping out of bed
my buttocks scratched -
wife's lost rosary

freesty mornin
swan beeries its heid
in the brawest swansdoon




frosty morning
swan buries its head
in the finest swansdown

on the freestit perk
a singul craw
hantinly bonnie




on the frosted field
a single crow
hauntingly beautiful

amang yaised condoms
an champt tinnies -
daffins




among used condoms
and crushed cans -
daffodils

mexican voar
a roon yalla leaf
trinnles alang the strand




mexican spring
a round yellow leaf
rolls along the shore

neb tae the chaumer wa
tentie o sheddae burds
sheddae brainches




face to the bedroom wall
she watches shadow birds
shadow branches

angert honkin
a fremmit deuk
ettles tae jyne the parrock




angry honking
a foreign duck
trys to join the group

ilka day
mair trok in the burn
new runkles on the scruif




every day
more rubbish in the stream
new wrinkles on the surface

the deef hoaspital's
fush-tank
thae fush...nae lugs




the hearing clinic's
aquarium
those fish...no ears

craw hoddles
alang the causey
licht sheenin frae's derkness




crow waddles
along the road
light shining from his darkness

in the pictur hoose
a bleck an fite bawdrons
blinters atween the cuits




in the cinema
a black and white cat
flickers between the ankles

makar's yirdin
pipie blaws a coronach
snawdraps' heids hing




poet's funeral
the piper blows a lament
snowdrops' heads hang

(for Hamish Henderson)

on the wund
drucken vices
the muin keeks oot




on the wind
drunken voices
the moon peeps out

snell wuntry days
cailleachs
wi fire-en-tartan legs




cold wintry days
old ladies
with fireside-tartan legs

(fireside-tartan: a blotched pattern
on the legs from sitting too close to the fire)

a lowpin bawdrons
wrocht frae spuins - the airtist
sowps wi's fingers




a leaping cat
made from spoons - the artist
eats with his fingers

on the strand
bricht shalls
pentit tae-nails




on the shore
bright shells
painted toe-nails

the bodach
wi the tattooed heid
weirs's wuiddrames




the old man
with the tattooed head
wears his nightmares

ower coorse tae fush
he blaws scales
on his saxyphone




too stormy to fish
he blows scales
on his saxophone

fitprents i the saun
her taes howkin deeper
whaur he pree'd'r lips




footprints in the sand
her toes digging deeper
where he kissed her

bongoes aneath the muin
a bricht pesos
in a derk waukit luif




bongoes beneath the moon
a bright pesos
in a dark calloused palm

the nicht
the muin an I
smirk at ilk ither




tonight
the moon and I
smile at each other

wunter skeps
peerie herts
i the derkness




winter hives
tiny hearts
in the darkness

in the florist's winnock
a corse-shapit wraith
o voar flooers




in the florist's window
a cruciform wreath
of spring flowers

athort the muin
peerie derk cluds
...drames o buffalo




across the moon
little dark clouds
...dreams of buffalo

blue bonnets
fidgin an yerkin
in thair timorsome warl




blue tits
twitching and jerking
in their nervous world

pussy willows
brustin throuch the brainch
wunter wund in thair herr




pussy willows
bursting through the branch
winter wind in their hair

reddin the geegaws -
the snaw-globe
tootles a pickle spatrils




packing decorations -
the snow-globe
plays a last few notes

global hettin
howkin oot fernyear's
snaw haiku




global warming
digging out last year's
snow haiku

craws daff
at chasie
... nae raison




crows play
at chasing each other
... no reason

tree limbs
liggin aw airts
weirlik natur




tree limbs
lying everywhere
warlike nature

a plowp!
i the dub
baith o's stertilt




a plop!
in the pond
both of us startled

in the vause
amang the flourish
sum flooers byde scandaleesed




in the vase
among the blossom
some flowers remain shocked

kingfisher
delichtin i the sin
...delichts




kingfisher
delighting in the sun
...delights

burn curmurrin
hern
dovers on a clint




stream murmuring
heron
dozes on a rock

hogmanay
eemages wabble in dubs
whuskie braiths




new year's eve
images wobble in puddles
whisky breaths

sin on thair riggins
they breenge towarts the muin
ower the trampit yirth




sun on their backs
they race towards the moon
over the trampled earth

(race meeting)

readin Issa
hearin
the weet fawin




reading Issa
hearing
the rain falling

ma peerie Buddha
nae hap fir's heid -
the bonsai's deid




my tiny Buddha
no cover for his head -
the bonsai is dead

New Orleans jazz -
throuchoot the hoose
ma Gran Marischal strunt




New Orleans jazz -
throughout the house
my Grand Marshal strut

blowster wairnin
the gairden sweeng
slawly sterts tae sweeng




gale warning
the garden swing
slowly starts to swing

deuks hyste thair heids
tak tent:
the fish-cadger's tooter




ducks raise their heads
listen:
the fishmonger's horn

snell wund frae the sea
a maw hunkers on a pall
greetin in'ts een




cold wind from the sea
a gull sits on a bollard
tears in its eyes

derk watter stourin
faemin fite
agin hern's trams




dark watter racing
foaming white
against heron's legs

boxin day
buckets skailin:
craws' Yule




boxing day
dustbins overflowing:
crows' Christmas

hinmaist day o advent
oot frae the haar
sumthin takkin shape




last day of advent
out from the freezing fog
something taking shape

burn in spate
a fairmer corses
on unvisible stanes




flooded river
a farmer crosses
on invisible stones

alane
at the bus-stap
a tuim yill bottle




alone
at the bus-stop
an empty beer bottle

Yule
throuch scuddit brainches
blue bonnets blinter




Christmas
through naked branches
blue tits flicker

maws
skirlin
juist wi joy




gulls
crying
just with joy

racin his maister
the auld dug
his lang reid tung sweengin




racing his master
the old dog
his long red tongue swinging

sundoon
aye wairmth
in her rosary beads




sunset
still warmth
in her rosary beads

Yule bells -
myndin a deid fere
...hingin




Christmas bells -
remembering a dead friend
...hanging

bawdrons tentie o me
threidin thairms
...wins awa suddent lik




cat watches me
threading gut strings
...suddenly leaves

blae lift
fuff-ba cluds
maggie haiks's tail athort




blue sky
puff-ball clouds
magpie drags his tail across

muckle
smoorichinsappieness:
twa winos




a lot of
huggingtouchingtenderness:
two winos

hivvie freest
dunt o the freezer
drappin ice-cubes




severe frost
thump of the freezer
dropping ice-cubes

furst freest -
a bodach an's eildit dug
uphaud ilk ither




first frost -
an old man and his old dog
support each other

hauns waffin o pine
we unfankle
whigmaleeries an sterns




hands smelling of pine
we untangle
baubles and stars

fitba fans
haud by tae warsle
he hings on's besom




football fans
pass by to conflict
he leans on his broom

sleekit craw
the day raggit craw
jachelt mang brainches




sleek crow
today ragged crow
tossed amongst branches

pairty time
the nicht e'en the muin
muinin




party time
tonight even the moon
mooning

oot frae the leaves
curlt intae a cleuch
a tint gliv




out from the leaves
curled into a clutch
a lost glove

syncopatit
the sparks
throuch ma laiky ruif




syncopated
the raindrops
through my leaky roof

weet blatters
on the balderies
they juist jig




rain beats
on the orchids
they just dance

the advent caunle
brenns awa anither day
the lowe chitters




the advent candle
burns away another day
the flame shivers

throuch the hailstanes
hollin berries
lichtin a peth




through the hail
holly berries
lighting a path

the laddie's dowie sang -
a hert-shaped leaf
blaws tae ma feet




the boy's sad song -
a heart-shaped leaf
blows to my feet

in the herth
a poinsettia
leamin




in the hearth
a poinsettia
glowing

burnside clartit
ablow the damheid
craw taks a shour




riverside littered
below the weir
crow takes a shower

December
meysies' peerie nebs
...yit




December
primroses' small faces
...still

in a borraed cot
new letters efter's nem:
weedower




in a borrowed coat
new letters after his name:
widower

wunter yirdin
abodie's braith
smoors the coffin




winter burial
everybody's breath
clouds the coffin

the auld mull dung doon -
muinlicht the nicht
in her chaumer




the old mill demolished -
moonlight tonight
in her room

bawdrons skooks
throuch the sheddaes
bluid on's neb




cat skulks
through the shadows
blood on his nose

abuin the scuilyaird skirls
maws whurl
...quatelik




above the playground screams
gulls wheel
...silently

Haly Mess
throuch the freestit gless
a flutherin o weengs




Holy Mass
through the frosted glass
a fluttering of wings

stoury nicht
billbrod liggs i the perk
bonnie lassie's neb clarty




stormy night
billboard lies in the field
beauty-queen's face dirty

efter the blatter
causey redd o leaves -
sum back on the brainches




after the storm
street clear of leaves -
some back on the branches

apenin the hingers
furst day
o advent




opening the curtains
first day
of advent

moose raxes
tae apen's een
the pushener taks tent




mouse struggles
to open its eyes
the poisoner looks on

alane nou
the bodach sterts
tae reek o pish




alone now
the old man
starts to smell of urine

bunnet gane tae the sterns
we haud ilk ither
wund rammishes throuch




hat gone to the stars
we hold each other
wind storms through

stieve wunter girses
naethin muivin bit the wund
bodachs' banes knackin




stiff winter grasses
nothing moving but the wind
old mens' bones cracking

peerie speuggie
frae brainch tae brainch
shooglin the tree




tiny sparrow
from branch to branch
shaking the tree